The first developments of the Ferrari SF-25 could arrive in Bahrain

This is certainly not the start to the season we were hoping for. Team Ferrari. A mere five points in Australia, followed by a double disqualification the following week in China: this is the Prancing Horse's worst start to a season since 2009! The news car, the SF-25, would suffer from a ride height problem. Lewis Hamilton paid the price since she is the reason for his disqualification during the last Grand Prix, the wear pad of his car being too worn to meet the FIA's expectations. According to Autoracer.it and Corriere dello Sport, the first developments, consisting of a new floor, should appear on the red cars from Bahrain, the fourth meeting of the season. Enough to put the Scuderia back at the forefront?

Constructors' runner-up in 2024, the Italian team had high hopes for 2025. I would be disappointed if we didn't win at least one of the two titles," confessed Charles Leclerc even before the test days in Bahrain last February. This confidence of the Monegasque perhaps came from the results of the SF-25 on the simulators of Maranello, which were excellent, according to the rumors in the paddock.

During the winter, Ferrari worked hard to revolutionize its 2024 car. The SF-24 gave us a great starting point to work from, indicated Loïc Serra, new technical director of the Scuderia, during the presentation of the new single-seater. That said, we worked hard, changing 99% of the car." So far, such a revolution in the interest of improvements has not borne fruit and the track figures do not corroborate those of the simulator. After two Grands Prix, the observation is unfortunate but the Italian machine is not at the level of the team's ruthless MCL39s McLaren who, for his part, did not tempt the devil but simply improved the glorious MCL38.

This is the last season under the current regulations, and teams will not be able to persist in improving their 2025 car for too long, and will have to quickly move on to the 2026 car. Thus, at Ferrari, solutions must be found quickly and the engineers, notably the former engineer Mercedes Loïc Serra, are under pressure. However, hope remains, as the culprit behind the SF-25's poor performance has reportedly been identified...

Ride height, a major problem

Simulators confirm that the SF-25 is a champion in the making, but for the moment, the data promised via the computers does not corroborate reality. A problem identified by Maranello engineers during pre-season testing in Bahrain is that the SF-25 is said to suffer from a ride height that is difficult to control.

A quick technical update: Since 2022, Formula 1 cars have used ground effect as their primary aerodynamic tool. This principle involves using the airflow beneath the car to create a vacuum, thereby increasing downforce and grip. To properly control this phenomenon, cars must be low to maximize the effect, and the floor has become the most important technical component of single-seaters under this regulation.

To exemplify, in 2022, the Ferrari F1-75 was very sensitive to ride height; the lower it was, the better it performed. At the time, Technical Directive 39 introduced in Belgium during the season, forcing the Scuderia to raise its car, had signed the death warrant for Ferrari's hopes for the title. The Austrian competition, Red Bull, was less sensitive to these height variations and was able to win the Championship in 2022.

Ferrari F1-75 at Spa-Francorchamps in 2022. ©Paul Vaicle / DPPI

If we go back to 2025, which driver was recently disqualified for a board that was too worn due to a ride height that was too low? Lewis Hamilton… Ferrari is stuck in a paradox, the SF25 works if the ride height is minimal, but when it is at ground level, the rear suspension seems to have difficulty containing the downforce generated – around three tonnes at 300 km/h – and collapses. So, the board rubs and wears, making the single-seater illegal under FIA rules.

A stiffened rear suspension could theoretically be a solution, with the aim of constantly maintaining a similar ride height, even when faced with the extreme constraints of downforce at high speeds. But like whack-a-mole, for every problem corrected, another one surfaces, as a stiffened rear suspension reduces the speed of the cars in slow corners. These technical subtleties must make the nights of the Maranello engineers short, very short, because time is of the essence if the Scuderia does not want to give its rivals too much leeway and inflict an impossible gap on itself.

Identified since Bahrain, this SF-25 issue needs to be addressed, and Maranello's engineers are working to find solutions. If a new floor pan is indeed brought to Bahrain, it should provide some initial answers. However, given the Scuderia's championship deficit, couldn't it be brought to Japan? If not, on the bumpy Suzuka track, Ferrari would probably be champing at the bit.

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